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There is an unmet need for a solution that can provide comprehensive target information at the lead selection stage of small molecule drug discovery. Interactions with proteins beyond the intended target influence the therapeutic, ADME and toxicity profile of small molecule drugs. Many off-target interactions become clear during drug discovery and development as a result of in vitro pharmacology binding and functional assays. However, due to cost this knowledge often occurs too late to capitalise on desirable properties and to avoid unwanted properties.

The 2015 CRACK IT Challenges were launched on 10 September at a meeting in central London.

The Challenges were outlined and the Sponsors met with potential applicants and the CRACK IT Team. There are two 2015 Challenges:

• Metaboderm
• InMutaGene

Each Challenge offers a research contract of up to £0.8 and £0.7 million funding respectively and up to three years to complete the Challenge deliverables

Commonly used methods of identification in laboratory rodents, such as ear tags, notches or punches, have known side effects which can affect study outcomes and reproducibility in preclinical research. Labstamp, an automated tail tattoo identification system from Somark innovations, is a superior alternative to the traditional methods of identification, offering the lowest rate of misidentification, best study data capture accuracy and the best animal welfare.

Blood glucose monitoring is an important part of diabetes research and studies into other metabolic diseases. It usually involves tests such as the glucose tolerance test which needs to be repeated up to 4 times a day throughout the length of the study, causing significant stress to the animals due to repeated handling and blood draws.

Antibodies have been used in biomedical research for decades. However their use isn’t without problems. Approximately half of all commercially available antibodies don’t bind with the required specificity in at least one assay. Their use is also limited by issues with cross-reactivity, fragility, and the fact that their production uses almost 10,000 animals per year.

The mouse lethality bioassay (MLB) is used extensively for testing products and samples that are suspected to contain botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). It is estimated that approximately 600,000 mice are used worldwide in diagnostics and pharmaceutical applications for this purpose. The MLB has significant welfare implications, causing severe distress to the animals and death by slow asphyxiation over a period of up to four days.